Spotlights

Brittany Cope ’08, graduated from Otterbein University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and a minor in Dance. Rather than heading to Hollywood to pursue an acting career, Cope, after two years of working as a casting assistant, discovered her true passion for working in television development.

The DNP, the only doctorate offered at Otterbein, is a practice-focused program designed for advanced practice nurses. Unlike Ph.D. programs that typically are research-centered, Otterbein’s DNP concentrates on scholarly evidence-based nursing practice, innovation, testing of health-care delivery models and evaluation of health outcomes for patients.

When Cherie (O’Donnell) Curley ’86 was at Otterbein, some professors may have thought she had her head in the clouds. They were wrong: as a current captain and 26-year pilot for United Airlines, Curley spends a lot of time above 35,000 feet.

After accepting a science education position at Otterbein University in 2012, Assistant Professor Paul Wendel and his wife of 17 years, Joyce, left their home in New Jersey and headed to Westerville to pursue the next step in his career. Having always had an interest in living an eco-friendly lifestyle, Wendel decided to renovate his new home in Westerville to be as green and energy efficient as possible.

This summer, senior Eric Witt delved a little deeper into his research, literally. The biology major had the opportunity to study sea anemone and crustaceans in Bermuda with alumnus Ben Titus ’08, who is now a second-year Ph.D. student at The Ohio State University.

At Otterbein University, we know one of the smartest ways for our students to learn is through practical, hands-on experience at internships and in other professional settings. Like Otterbein, sophomore, computer science major Braeden Sparks understands the value of these out-of-the-classroom experiences.

Journalism and media communication major Grace Lenehan ’15 knew that if she wanted to succeed in the industry, she would have to get involved on campus and gain as much professional experience as she could. Since her freshman year at Otterbein University, Lenehan has done just that. This summer, her hard work paid off when she earned her dream internship with SiriusXM radio’s The Highway in Nashville.

Three times song and dance greeted Otterbein students as their coaster (bus) pulled into various villages in Malawi during their visit to Africa this past summer. Ten students from Senior Year Experience and Integrative Studies courses joined together with two faculty members to spend two weeks traveling throughout Malawi visiting and working with representatives from several non-profit, health care and educational organizations.

Otterbein University has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for its focus on academics and student success and by Washington Monthly for its contributions to the public good and its economic value to students.

Now that he’s safely back in America, Tim Mosher can make a claim that few others can make. “I may be the only Nurse Practitioner in America to have treated Ebola patients,” he stated. A 2014 graduate of Otterbein’s Master of Science in Nursing program, Mosher responded with Samaritan’s Purse, a non-governmental organization, to work in an Ebola clinic in Liberia alongside national staff and international non-governmental partners.

It didn’t take long for Miguel Martinez-Saenz to decide that Otterbein is a place where he could work shoulder to shoulder with faculty members passionate about lighting the fire of learning in their students.

A little bit of competition can go a long way. Just ask Bradley Tucker ’82. As a member of Otterbein’s baseball team and Zeta Phi fraternity, he brought his competitive spirit from the diamond to his business.

When Judy Stinolis’06 was at Otterbein she participated in many campus organizations. She was Judy Stinolis, EKT sorority vice president, Judy Stinolis, WOBN talent and Judy Stinolis, WOCC station manager, to name a few. But never in her wildest dreams did she think her Otterbein education would eventually lead to Judy Stinolis, Emmy-award winner.

College football is back, which means fans are filing into college football stadiums all over the country to cheer on their favorite teams. This time of year also means that sport management major Zach Reed ’13 is doing what he loves.

When Amanda Julca ’06 walked on Otterbein’s campus during a visit with her high school drawing teacher, she knew that this was the ideal place for her. Not only did the campus impress her but she fell in love with the art program.

It’s every kid’s dream to make it to the major leagues. The crack of the bat and the fresh-cut grass are callings to young boys and girls around the world. Robb Stretch ’02 and ’12, always knew he wanted a career in baseball. However, Stretch’s dream is not as a player but that of becoming a baseball public relations executive.